The UB group has asked East Bengal club officials to cut down the number of players and revise their budget for the ensuing football season. It was learnt that the UB officials, who were handed over a list of 35 players at a meeting on Wednesday, told club secretary Kalyan Majumdar to “justify their demands and get back to them”. The club has demanded Rs 7 crore from the existing budget of Rs 3 crore.

“We are not brushing off their request but they should be professional in their approach. You cannot suddenly surge your budget more than 100 per cent,” a senior UB official said after the meeting.